Usagi Yojimbo - Samurai Warrior
Alternative title: Samurai Warrior: The Battles of Usagi Yojimbo
Platform: Commodore 64
Gametype: Undefined
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With the Roger Rabbit film (and game) successful, and the Jive Bunny phenomenon shaking up charts worldwide, perhaps it was time to redress the balance away from wimpy rabbits. Stan Sakai's comic character set in the 17th century did this, being capable of a range of martial arts moves. In this licensed game he'll need them to save Japan from being taken over by evil.

The game is side-scrolling and has large beat 'em up elements, but also incorporates Karma. Negative actions such as needless violence will be punished with a loss of Karma, while positives ones (such as bribing those who give Karma) are rewarded. When in combat, energy gauges display the condition of both yourself and your rival. Money collected can be spent on food for energy boosts.

Awards

ACE
October 1988 (issue #13) - Included in the Top-100 list of 1987/1988 (editorial staff selection)

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by Audun Sorlie - January 1st, 2011

The late 80's and early 90's was a time filled to the brim with mutated anthropomorphized creatures either fighting for the justice and good will alongside regular humans or fighting them with vile brutality. It seemed every time you turned on the TV on a Saturday morning, there would be a new show with some furry fearsomes on motorcycles or pizza hating sharks. This trend of humanoid animals was arguably set by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with their mainstream boom that skyrocketed with the animated tv series in 1987. At the same time as the Ninja Turtles were lurking in the shadows of NYC, a samurai rabbit was walking the Japanese countryside.

Usagi Yojimbo (which translates into "Rabbit Bodyguard") is the brainchild of independent comic book mastermind Stan Sakai. Appearing in one shot stories featured in Albedo Anthropomorphics and Critters during 83 and 84, it would be in 1987 that Usagi got his own comic book. Modeled after Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary samurai from the Edo period, it tells the story of Miyamoto Usagi who walks the country side on an honorable pilgrimage. The ronin rabbit offers his skills and bravery to help innocents in danger and hones his skills further with the duels against fellow swordsmen or corrupt landlords while the country is changing around him. It's written and drawn solely by Sakai himself, and has remained his property without any outside involvement from funders or publishers. With a clever mix of history, myths and mythology, it has remained steadily popular and is still in being published to this very day over 20 years later.

Being a whole owned property, Usagi's merchandising and marketing history is quite unique compared to many other comparable properties. Despite its fame and popularity there has never been any movies or television shows developed from the comic book, but rather lending the character of Usagi to other franchises such as TMNT. Despite being an extremely strong character in both art and story, Usagi has rarely been converted into any other form of entertainment than black and white comic.

During its run from 1987 until present, only one video game has been made starring the wandering rabbit, Beam Software's Samurai Warrior: The Battles of Usagi Yojimbo. In a time when licensed video games were often rushed and instantly forgettable, Samurai Warrior is still fondly remembered.


http://www.mobygames.com/game/c64/samurai-warrior-the-battles-of-usagi-yojimbo
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/usagiyojimbo/usagiyojimbo.htm
